Senior Athlete Spotlight: Aiden K

1. When did you start rowing, and why?
I started rowing the first day of winter in 2023, it was a really difficult first month or two. But I joined because of our coxswain, Finn Kluth, who invited me to try out rowing because I'm tall. My mom thought it was a good idea because she knew my older brother enjoyed their summer program, and she read "Boys in the Boat" and thought it was really interesting and thought it'd be cool to try.

2. What has been your most memorable experience on the team?
My most memorable experience on the team was my first time finding our swing. We were doing steady state back to the dock, but we were up past Newlands, and it was getting dark with a nice sunset going on. I had been put into 5-seat for the first time with Finn Lacey in front of me and Ethan Holden in seventh. The water was glassy and Dalton was finally silent so we could hear the oars snap into feather in unison and hear the seats roll up the slide in one sound. The entire boat was perfectly in sync for the 30ish minute row back to the dock.

3. What are your plans this fall?
My plans this fall are to move into my dorm at Western Washington University and major in Civil Engineering. I'm still considering whether or not I will join rowing in college, but I think I'd like it.

4. What advice would you give to a new athlete in rowing?
I think advice I'd give to a new athlete is to wait for the water workouts, and the regattas. I joined in the winter so my first experience with rowing was erging, I wanted to quit so bad, but I told myself I'd wait to go on the water before quitting. Fortunately, I really enjoyed the water, and since then the regattas have been the most memorable events of my life. Even in my year and a half of rowing I've traveled to Canada for Brentwood, Tennessee for Hooch, and Florida for Nationals, and there's even more travel trips out there like San Diego. On these trips and in the boathouse you grow closer to your teammates and they become lifelong friends, just finish the erging.